Albus Potter and the Diamond of Destiny
by SpikeQueen
Summary: Albus returns to Hogwarts along with Rose, Scorpius, and Sapphire. In his 2nd year, he struggles with his past as the year brings upon new adventure. With the enemy striking unexpectedly, allies or foes yet to be determined, and new found knowledge discovered, shocking secrets will be revealed. With self-doubt marring his way, will Albus satiate his thirst for knowledge?


**Author's Note: ...I really don't know what to say at this point. I really don't. Oh wait, let me try: "Don't worry, guys! I might even upload my new story within the week since I'm so excited!" Sound familiar? Yes, I'm patronizing myself and feel free to patronize me (that is, if you've still bothered to put up with my horrible writing skills for which I would be eternally awed and grateful). I'm such a liar, in so many ways...I'm SOSOSOSO sorry for not uploading! In my defense, I get distracted easily. I finished my first story in what, May-ish? So then I thought, hey, I'll just wait till June is over since I'm graduating from grade 8 and might as well focus my energy on friends I won't see again. Then it was July. Now, I really have no excuse here. It was SUMMER. I guess I just got lazy and excited at the prospect of free time. In August though, I was in India for literally the whole month. I even missed my first day of high school. September, I suppose, was happiness at the friends who decided to go to the same high school as me, and fitting in with new classes and work. Now it's October, and there's honestly nothing left to give but an apology. **

**Throughout the months, you guys have been guilting me with PMs. Hah, the one I got today set me over the edge. It's a long weekend! What more excuse do I have? Thank you to the person who sent me that PM, it gave me the slap of reality. (Oh, and the person was quite nice rather than yelling at me, so you get a shout out. Thank you, Leticia92! Feel free to thank her if you enjoy my writing :P). Anyways, I'm going to try weekly updates since anything smaller might stress me :( high school was not like the early days of yore, where I had some free time and therefore updated every few days. However, you might get another update this weekend since I have extra time and not much homework. Overall, thank you so much if you're still sticking with me! How you guys are still following me, I do not know, but I appreciate it.**

**Anyways, this chapter is not very interesting (when is the first chapter of a book supremely interesting?). But it'll pick up later on, as you know. Hopefully you'll enjoy it anyway, since it opens mysteries for the chapters later to come. Review if you will (they make me happy, but do I even deserve them?), but mostly, I just want you to enjoy. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, plot lines, settings, and other figments of J.K. Rowling's original Harry Potter series in this entire story. All rights belong to her; the only things I own are characters, settings, and plots created by me. **

**Chapter 1: A Distressing Disclosure**

Albus wearily made his way to the kitchen in his house. He reached into a cabinet above the sink and pulled out some teabags. He had grown strangely attached to tea ever since his first year at Hogwarts; it seemed to calm him. He was also prone to waking up at some point in the middle of the night at least a couple of times a week.

His parents claimed it was the whole thing with the Potestum giving him nightmares; but Albus didn't believe it. Why didn't James get nightmares? Albus knew the situation for James, while still disconcerting, was nowhere near as disconcerting as Albus'. The whole silver aura thing was really what was freaking him out. Harry had kept quiet about it for Albus' sake, since he knew the Ministry would treat Albus like a 'lab rat', as Aunt Hermione would say, but that didn't make it any less scary.

_I really could have hurt someone – maybe even killed – if I lost control and let my anger take itself out on everyone, _Albus thought to himself as he took a few sips of his tea. _I know I should probably let it go by now, but why am I the only person this is happening to? Rose and Scorpius and Sapphire didn't glow silver, but they were just as angry and scared as I was!_

Albus was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice his dad taking a seat on the couch next to him; quietly pouring himself his own cup of tea.

"Good day for tea, isn't it?" Harry asked his son as Albus jumped and turned to face him. Harry chuckled quietly. "I'm sorry; didn't mean to scare you. Although I doubt there's much that could scare you now."

Albus knew this was a prompt for him to start speaking his mind done very subtly. He tried to ignore it. It's not that he didn't want to talk about it; he'd told his dad everything he felt in the hospital wing just a month or so ago. He just didn't want false reassurance. He, his dad, his family, and his friends all knew that Albus' silver glow wasn't just accidental magic, so he wasn't going to sit there while his dad tried to convince him he was normal (which he clearly wasn't).

"It's okay. And yeah, it's a good day for tea. Pretty rainy outside." Albus said nonchalantly.

Harry nodded, knowing not to push the subject. He simply took another sip of tea and sat quietly next to Albus; neither speaking for a few moments. Harry finally decided to break the silence after he had finished his tea. "Well, I'll be heading upstairs to sleep again. You should too. Just know I'll be right there if you need me, alright?"

Albus noted the double meaning in his words and was grateful internally, thankful that Harry understood Albus' position on the situation. "I know, Dad. Thanks." He let his words go with a double meaning as well; knowing his dad would understand that he wasn't thanking him just for being there, but for everything he'd done to help.

Harry nodded and went back up the stairs. While on the last step, he sneaked a glance at Albus and sighed at the melancholy look on his face. _He shouldn't have to face this while so young_, he thought. It was everything Harry went through as a child, and he didn't want his own son to have to face such horrors through his years in Hogwarts as well. Right before he slipped back under the covers with Ginny, he made a vow to himself. _I promise I'll do whatever it takes to keep Albus safe...whatever it takes to let him be a normal boy his age...  
_

* * *

Albus woke up on the couch the next morning with a start; his teacup sitting on the coffee table. He glanced at the clock above the bookcase in the living room; its face showing the time: 7:30. Albus sighed, knowing it was early but too late to fall back asleep. He put his cup in the sink and trudged upstairs to his room, ready to get a head start on his friends' letters.

Sapphire and Scorpius had both sent him letters (Rose not needing to as she could just Floo over) and Albus got out his quill and some parchment; ready to reply. He started with Scorpius' letter; reading it over quickly:

_Dear Al,_

_How's summer going for you? Terribly boring over here, as you can imagine. Sometimes I wish I had more siblings and cousins like you do, but then I remember Rose and I feel much better being an only child. _(Albus snorted at this; neglecting to mention this to Rose as she would probably send Scorpius a Howler). _Anyways, I've just been practicing my Quidditch over here. I'm pretty sure I've improved as a Keeper, but then again, it's hard to tell when I have to use bewitched objects instead of actual Quaffles. Have you been practicing Quidditch, too? You really should; more than last year, anyway. Think about it; you wanted to be Gryffindor's Seeker last year but got bested by James (who, let's admit, was bloody spectacular during tryouts) – _again, Albus snorted, but this time out of spite – _but this year? You could still be a Seeker for Slytherin!_

_We could be on the team together, and everything (that is, if we both make it)! Pretty good chance if you ask me; as much as I hate to admit it, Slytherins are bloody awful at Quidditch considering our past wins/losses (mostly losses, which explain a lot). We'd do great for the team!_

_Anyways, other than Quidditch, I've basically been sitting around (though Rose keeps nagging me about how I should really make use of my library. Mind telling her that I do; but not for reading? Actually, don't, if she found out I bewitch books to fly at me as I block them she might have a heart attack). What've you been up to? Any news? None from here, so reply soon!_

_Scorpius_

_P.S. – I know you're probably still worries about last year. Let me be the first to say (and I'm not being sarcastic in any way now; something that'll probably surprise you) that nothing changes. You'll still be my best friend. There's no need to worry about what other people think – somewhere out there, there's an explanation and you'll find it. Okay, I'm done being deep now. Just reply as quick as you can!_

Albus smiled at the postscript message; feeling slightly better. He'd feel much better if Sapphire thought the same (he already knew Rose did; as she basically strangled Albus in a hug when he'd brought up his doubts). If his friends didn't care about it, then he wouldn't. For some reason, it seemed Sapphire's message would be the deciding factor. Taking a quick breath, he read her letter.

_Dear Al,_

_How's summer treating you so far? It's been alright for me (and no, you shouldn't feel concerned when I say 'alright'. I'm not freaking out over the whole kidnap ordeal, so don't be overly cautious when writing a response. In fact, if you write back asking a whole bunch of questions about my health, I'll send your owl straight back!) But seriously, I'm fine. And I'm writing this because I know you're going to ask. I was in that coma for the whole time; I felt nothing. Don't worry._

_In fact, it's you who we should be worrying about. _(Albus' heart sank at this; he was afraid Sapphire would think he was a freak). _And no, again, I don't think you're a freak. What I mean is you must be exhausted and confused after that whole confrontation; much more than I am. But you should know that me, Scorpius, and Rose all agree that nothing's different about you. Oh, did I just make a grammar mistake? Don't tell Rose, she might have an aneurism. Anyways, you're still the same person, aren't you? So don't worry, there's an explanation for everything._

_Now, onto things that matter, have you been keeping up with the Quidditch scores? The Tornadoes are totally going to crush the Cannons, wouldn't you agree? The Chudley Cannons haven't won a game since...actually, have they ever won? Anyways, I still think it'll be Puddlemere that wins the entire championship. What about you? _

_Glad there's Quidditch to keep me busy, but it can't distract me forever. My summer's about as interesting as watching grass die. Actually, that might make my summer more interesting...yes, that's exactly how boring it is here. You're so lucky to have so many cousins and siblings and other relatives. At least Scorpius can relate. Anyways, would you like to meet up at Diagon Alley soon? I'm dying to see you guys again, and we need to get our school supplies anyway. My parents barely let me go anywhere alone now, so it would be a nice change. So send a reply quickly!_

_Love, _

_Sapphire_

Albus felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He felt a lot better knowing that his friends wouldn't treat him differently after everything that happened. After all, didn't his Dad say that _everyone _has an aura? _Mine's just more...powerful, _Albus reassured himself. Smiling, he scribbled down quick replies to both letters and sent them off. As he sent them off with his owl, Amber, he noted happily that Sapphire's letter said "love" at the bottom. He wondered why that made him feel happier, but shook it off and put them away.

Not knowing what else to do, Albus just got out his Firebolt 7000 and began doing laps outside his house. He practiced throwing the Quaffle in from several different angles, noting the advantages of each one. He briefly wondered if he should try out for Chaser or Seeker, like Scorpius suggested. He knew he was quite good with both positions.

Before he knew it, a couple of hours passed.

"Albus! Come inside for lunch!" Ginny called out. "James and Lily are already at the table!"

Albus sighed and put away his equipment; hurrying in so he wouldn't keep his family waiting. As he took a seat at the dining table, he noticed that one family member was missing.

"Hey," James started, looking around as if voicing Albus' thoughts. "Where's Dad?"

Ginny sighed. "He's working on some Auror reports, James. The whole ordeal that happened a couple of months ago raised a lot of inquiries. He's extremely busy now; he has to find out if this is a real threat."

"Is it?" asked Lily. James and Albus looked at Ginny questioningly. Their parents told them that they told Lily what happened, but they clearly didn't tell her the entire thing.

Ginny sighed again. "Yes, Lily, it is. A group of people are attacking the innocent to gain power; like they attacked Albus and James. It's like the Death Eaters are back again."

Lily's eyes grew wide. "The Death Eaters are back again?" she asked incredulously. "What are you going to do? Is Dad going to stop them again? How are you supposed to find th – "

"Lily, Lily, calm down!" Ginny exclaimed. "I know this news is upsetting, but it's not the Death Eaters. It's someone new. There are always going to be bad people in the world, Lils; you just have to deal with it."

Lily nodded, but she still looked kind of scared. Noting this, James tried to cheer her up. "Come on, Lils! It's nothing to be afraid of! Me and Al can take 'em, easy! Right, Al?"

Albus smiled. "Right," he agreed. "You should've seen us. We took down about twenty at once!" he said, exaggerating slightly.

"Well, I did," James said, puffing out his chest. "Albus hid behind a bush," James continues, ignoring his scoff of disapproval. "But me? They were running away at the mere sight of me!" James claimed outrageously as he took a bite of his food and dabbed the corners of his mouth with a napkin daintily.

At this point, Lily couldn't take it anymore and started laughing hysterically, along with Albus. Even Ginny let out a few chuckles, though she disapproved of their earlier comments of taking down twenty Dark Guardians.

At this point, Harry walked in holding a stack of papers and frowning. "Hey, Gin, I think I'll be having my lunch a bit later. I have a lot of work to send in, and there have been at least three different sightings of these guys."

"Three?" Albus asked, dropping his fork.

Harry managed a smile. "Don't worry, Al, I'm taking care of this. People are just so paranoid about this that they jump to conclusions whenever they see something bad. One of the reports was even a thief who shoplifted from a store in Diagon Alley! People just assume the worst on sight, is all." He said reassuringly.

"Well, have there been any real sightings?" asked James.

Harry frowned. "I think there was one real one, though it's extremely confusing."

"How so?" asked Ginny.

"Well, there's been a spotting on Inferno Island. Remember that place? It's that wizarding island only viewable to our folk; we went there a long time ago on vacation." Harry explained.

Lily frowned for a second. "Oh, is that the place with the fake volcano that's enchanted to blow up at night?" she asked. No one was surprised, as Lily had an astounding memory despite her age.

Ginny smiled. "Yes, we went there the summer about 5 years ago, I think. It's a nice place; you kids used to have a lot of fun there, with all the magical stores and attractions."

"Why didn't we go again?" asked Lily.

Harry sighed. "Well, it's basically fallen into ruin. Something went wrong with the volcano's enchantment one night, and lava threatened to bury the entire town. The Ministry didn't have the money to repair it at the time, and they may have forgotten about it by now. The people fled, so it's basically uninhabited. Well, at least until the Dark Guardians were sighted. Makes sense, actually; it would make a good hideout considering only magic folk can see it. It would be a good place for them to get started on their plans, which is why I think this one might be real."

"Well if you think they're there, then why waste time?" Albus asked instantaneously. "You could go with the Aurors right now and throw them all in Azkaban!"

Harry exhaled. "It's not as simple as that, Al. Even if we did find anyone there, we don't have proof that they did anything wrong. They all had masks on, remember? And as for why we can't check now, well, think about it. If you were doing something you weren't supposed to, and went to build a hideout somewhere, what would be the first thing you did? Protecting yourself, right? So in their case, it would be putting up security enchantments. We have to take precautions; _prove _their intentions...that's how law works. For all we know, it might even something as simple as foreign wizards looking for a new home."

James rolled his eyes. "_Riiggghhht. _'Cuz all foreign wizards barricade themselves on random, uninhabited islands with enchantments to prevent revealing themselves." He drawled dryly.

Ginny glared at him, though James ignored it but had the decency to pretend he had no idea he said something wrong.

Lily sniffed unhappily. "I _liked _Inferno Island! I made so many friends there and watching the volcano was really fun!" Albus liked it there too, but for slightly deeper reasons. In a family of so many cousins and famous parents and relatives, it was so easy to get overshadowed. Albus wanted to carve his own name in stone, if at all. At Inferno Island, he met other kids his age that didn't care who his father was and enjoyed spending time with him. There, he felt almost...normal.

"Well, we can't jump to conclusions either, can we? I'm not even sure if staying on that island is illegal. I think the Ministry revoked their ownership of the land after the volcano erupted and it became a pile of shi..." Harry stopped himself hastily when Ginny's fierce stare landed on him instead; reprimanding him mentally because of his poor word choice. "I mean, load of...ahh, irritating lawsuits..." he continued, though James was sniggering at what Harry was about to say with Lily looking on confusedly. "They may have dropped its Ministerial status since they didn't want to deal with the amount of carnage and trauma it caused people." Harry finished sadly.

Ginny looked thoughtful. "But you don't know for sure if it's still Ministry-owned, right? Maybe we could ask Hermione...she works in Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and that goes hand-in-hand with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement...then again, all departments go under magical law, anyway, even the Department of Misuse of Muggle Artifacts...but I think Hermione worked for the Magical Law Enforcement Offices at some point, so it should be fine..." she said, rambling to herself quietly.

Albus' head was spinning with the amount of times she said "department" in that rant. Apparently James' was too, as he said, "Wow, we really need to come up with shorter names in the Ministry. Or at least acronyms. Then again, the Department of Magical Education and Student Supervision would be 'D-MESS'..."James pondered seriously. "That could work!" James said brightly.

This, again, caused Lily to giggle and even brought begrudging smiles to Ginny and Harry's faces. Albus laughed, wondering how his brother could manage to lift all their moods without even trying. He wished he had that ability.

Suddenly, Harry clapped his hands together. "Enough of all this talk of gloom. Evil people will rise, and evil people will fall. That's just the circle of life. At least it brings money to the family! Let's just have lunch and go back to normal conversation." Ginny agreed heartily, and soon conversation shifted back to regular things, like school (much to Lily's annoyance, as she still couldn't attend), James' pranks, family get-togethers, jokes, and even the weather. _Was that all grown-ups talked about? _Albus often wondered.

While everyone else seemed to forget their previous exchange, it still weighed heavily on Albus' mind. Inferno Island was a good place to house criminals considering the fact that it was uninhabited, but it was also unstable. Though the volcano hadn't erupted in years, it could still happen. Also, the last remnants of civilization had been long since buried under ash, but that didn't necessarily mean it could stop them from building a new one inconspicuously. They were, after all, trained wizards, and with this new art of Coronitealogy, they could control _anyone. _

This thought struck Albus suddenly, and he ridiculously turned to check that no red aura was covering his dad's body once more. Although he knew the idea was ludicrous, it was still possible that they were controlling others with this art, and perhaps even a few in the Ministry. This would, of course, aid their plans greatly; maybe even to the point of victory if they experienced powerful members such as the Minister, Kingsley Shacklebolt himself.

Now, Albus realized his thoughts were running away with him. There was _no way _they could have gotten to Kingsley. True, they did get to Dad, but that was unexpected. _Now that we know what we're up against, Dad won't let anything bad happen_, Albus reassured himself. His actions from the previous year were a result of exhaustion, stress, worry, and of course, the influence of auric magic. Now back to normal, Albus could see that it truly hit home that his family was attacked and Harry took it 'lightly', causing this whole chain of events to occur. Albus knew Harry blamed itself, but knew even further that it was only himself to blame. He could've told someone...he could've realized something was wrong with his father...who wouldn't realize something like that?

But as Albus watched his father during the conversation, silently eating his potatoes, and glancing around the cheerful setting of the table, he could see Harry distracted as well. Looking out windows, an ear slightly cocked for odd noises...Harry was going to take all precautions and Albus knew it. And if Albus looked closer instead of turning back to his food, he would've seen the protective, lethal glint in Harry's eyes as he himself saw Albus pondering their earlier conversation deeply; the fatal gleam that would've told Albus that Harry would do anything, _anything _at all to save them from any danger.

* * *

After lunch, Albus attempted to finish the work he got over the summer break, as he had not yet started and school was approaching much quicker than he'd anticipated. Over the hours, though, he'd quickly gotten distracted when James and Lily came in to bug him, ending up in a 'game' of sorts that lasted until dinner, involving them throwing things at each other and hiding behind objects in the house. Laughing, they made their way to the dinner table and ate quickly and eagerly in hopes of playing again, satiating Ginny and Harry as they saw their children lighthearted once more. After they had finished though, Albus was thoroughly exhausted from his day and headed to bed.

As he adjusted himself under the covers, he closed his eyes with a peaceful smile on his face as he reminisced about the joyful events of his day, rather than the bad ones. While he thought about his friends' letters, the prospect of meeting them again, and his game with James and Lily, he slowly, unknowingly, drifted off into an undisturbed slumber for the first time in a while. It was so serene that Albus, who was usually a light sleeper, did not hear the beeping of his father's communication device that the Aurors copied from Muggle technology in case of emergencies. It was so serene that he did not hear the door slam as he left hurriedly; a far-off scream echoing in the night, only audible to those listening for it. So serene that in the early rays of dawn, he did not hear his owl drop off his copy of the Daily Prophet; and when he did wake up he was so soothed from his good sleep that he overlooked the Prophet completely rather than searching it for clues as usual. If he did however, his serene mood would definitely dissipate.

And so, Albus woke up to the depressed face of his father to the stricken look of worry on his mother's as he greeted them for breakfast. He turned to see James look at a copy of the Daily Prophet in horror and turn to his parents as if to confirm its truth, though it seemed unnecessary with their dejected, irate expressions. Lily had her hands to her mouth in shock as her eyes filled with unshed tears that she determinedly tried to hold back.

When Albus entered, the attention shifted towards him, looks full of anxiety being directed at him.

"Albus," Harry began, but he seemed to drift off. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times with a desperate look now overtaking his features. "I'm sorry," he finally ventured quietly, looking down as if disappointed with himself.

Albus felt his heartbeat pick up. What could possibly be so bad that his mother looked on the verge of tears and his father looked thoroughly sore at himself? He remembered James looking at his parents from the Daily Prophet, and grabbed the copy from his brother's hands.

"Maybe that isn't the best way for you to get the information," Lily said quietly and desperately, trying to knock it out of his hands. Albus simply turned and held it higher so his sister couldn't reach it.

He looked at the headline with growing horror, as it read "THE DARK GUARDIANS STRIKE BACK" with a picture of a dilapidated living room; objects strewn across it everywhere. But this was not what caught his eye; it was a passage of text within the article that caused him to look just as shocked as the rest of his family, for it read:

_At about 3:37 AM this morning, the newly unveiled threat of the Dark Guardians struck again, taking the Aurors completely by surprise. Fortunately, a neighbour of the victims, who also happened to be a wizarding family as it was a wizard neighbourhood, called the Auror Office immediately, where the night Auror Robert Saunier notified the Head Auror Harry Potter immediately. Aurors rushed onto the scene, but the neighbour called too late. The Todesworths', a notable pureblood family with prominent parents Edward and Willow Todesworth and their only daughter Sapphire, were left in shambles as one was injured, another proclaimed missing, and another pronounced dead at the scene. _

**A/N: Okay, maybe I kind of lied about the 'not very interesting' part. It's not too much of a cliffhanger though...is it? xD Maybe that opinion's biased since I'm the writer and I don't know how you feel. But I will (hopefully) update this weekend!  
**

**P.S. - Some of you may be wondering why I keep attacking Sapphire (okay, this is only the second time. But still!). Trust me, there's a reason for it. A bunch of you seemed to like her character (oddly enough; I never really considered her my favourite, but I will definitely have a favourite character in later books after I write them) so I'm going to focus on her character development. I wanted to work on that anyway. Everyone in my story has a certain 'character' about them, like how Albus is the main one (the one who struggles, has self-doubts, etc. You'll definitely get to know him), Rose the 'smart' one, and Scorpius the sarcastic/funny one. But who is Sapphire; with all those characteristics taken? Somehow, I think the 'nice' one is not exactly what I want; it doesn't really fit (not that she's not nice). So the stories from now on will probably contain more character development in general (I'm just starting with Sapphire), to show you who they really are. If you're wondering what brought this on, I somehow feel that I may have made Sapphire into a giggly little girl, which is not what I want. :/ But anyways, this attack was necessary; it starts her development into maturity; as other things will do so for the other characters.**


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